By Terence Dooley
Anthony Joshua’s showdown with London rival Dillian Whyte is already proving popular with the paying public with over 10,000 tickets flying out within the first 45 minutes after they went on general sale earlier today. Eddie Hearn confirmed the figure to BoxingScene this afternoon and ticket sales are expected to remain brisk throughout the day.
The fight takes place on the 12th at London's O2 Arena. Joshua's Commonwealth and WBC International titles will be on the line, the vacant British title is also up for grabs.
The two heavyweight contenders posted wins at the O2 last weekend to stay on course for their December date. Joshua (14-0 (14 KOs) destroyed Gary Cornish in a single round while Whyte knocked out Brian Minto in three to remain undefeated, 16-0 (13 early).
Their rivalry goes all the way back to the unpaid ranks. Whyte defeated Joshua as an amateur, but the 25-year-old 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist believes that he is a totally different proposition these days and has vowed to ease past his Brixton-based opponent.
Whyte, though, remains confident of victory, something that probably cannot be said of Joshua’s previous opponents; the 27-year-old has vowed to take his rival’s ‘0’ as well as snatching the mantle of heir apparent to Wladimir Klitschko, who meets Britain’s Tyson Fury in Berlin on October 24.
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